How Long Do Keypad Deadbolt Door Locks Work?

Are you thinking about installing a keypad deadbolt door lock on your home’s front door? Maybe you’re considering a side or rear door or even an interior door; it doesn’t matter. What matters is not where these keyless door locks are installed but which door lock is installed.

To summarize, the cheapest keypad deadbolt systems will be less durable and will work for the least amount of time before they need to be fixed or replaced. The opposite is true for the most expensive systems. For the average person however the middle of the road keyless entry systems will be the most likely deadbolts you would buy and even these will require servicing in different durations.

Keyless Entry Deadbolt Battery Length

Let’s face it. A cheap electronic deadbolt lock will not be worth your money. One of the main reasons to buy a keyless entry system is for the simplicity and convenience they offer. Unfortunately many of the really inexpensive keyless entry systems are simply made from low quality materials and manufacturing standards. Many of them malfunction on a mechanical or electronic level well before they have aged more than a few months.

For those dead bolt systems which cost a bit more but are made better the main concern you have with their durability is probably not going to be construction or durability but rather it will be battery length.

I’ve noted before that the Schlage BE365VCAM716 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt system is probably one of the best keypad door locks on the market compared to its going selling price. It’s got a lot of highly positive reviews by people who have actually bought the item (as can easily be seen on Amazon) and it sells for more than half of its suggested selling price.

I believe it’s a better use of your money than many other options due to all that but also because of the battery life. You can usually be safe to assume that upon installing this deadbolt you won’t have to change the battery for two to three years depending on how much use it gets. Now obviously some systems will work longer on a single battery than this door lock but for the price and the quality this seems to be a good rule of thumb.

Length Of Security

With a traditional cheap deadbolt door lock you can be sure that your lock will probably last for decades between servicing. Most people usually only change locks like these when the key is lost or the security of the key itself has been compromised. If someone gets a copy of your key there’s nothing you can do to secure your home again other than buy and install a new deadbolt lock.

With keyless entry systems this is not a problem. The best keyless entry door locks come with features like multiple entry codes which can be activated and deactivated at will. Reprogrammable codes are also possible at any time and keyed entry is always an available backup for mechanical or electronic failure. This means that you don’t really have to worry about someone getting access to your home by learning the push-button code because you have the ability to change the code at any time.

The high end keyless entry systems may be made of even higher quality materials and design. They will cost more and the batteries may last longer. Some of them even have added features like wireless remote entry which may be helpful for even more people but they cost quite a bit more.

For the average person wanting a push button door lock the price range that is most likely you will be in is the $100-$150 range and in this range battery life is probably the first reason your lock will ever fail. Typical battery length in this realm of products will be in the two to three year range and at that point you can simply install a new battery to keep it going even longer.

With battery replacement, proper care, and no tampering it’s conceivable that a $120 keypad deadbolt like the Schlage Camelot could last for many years.